Method and carton for imparting fragrance to carton contents

ABSTRACT

Improved carton and method for imparting fragrance to carton contents by providing a passage and chamber within the package frame itself and allowing the vapor pressure of the perfume to drive aromatic vapors throughout the carton interior.

United States Patent [191 [lll Hammond [451 Jan. 16, 1973 [54] METHOD AND CARTON FOR 2,619,225 11/1952 Mimz ..206/10 IMPARTING FRAGRANCE T0 2,801,737 8/1957 Berman... ....206/10 2,541,525 2/l95l Lewyt ....206/10 2,807,514 9/1957 Williams '....312/31 [75] Inventor: Phillip G. Hammond, Neenah, Wis. 3,424,367 l 1969 Desmond et al ..2-21/63 X [73] Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Primary Examiner Anen N Knowles Neenah W'S- Assistant Examiner-Michael Y. Mar [22] Filed: May l2, 1971 Attorney-Daniel J. Hanlon, Jr., William D. Herrick and Raymond J. Miller [2l] Appl. No.: 142,493

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl 239/55, 206/10 lmpfOVed Cal'tOrl and method for imparting fragrance [51] Int. cl. ssd s/os t0 Carton Contents by Providing a passage and [58] Field of Search .239/6 53 54 55 56. 22H48 chamber within the package frame itself and allowing 2&1/63, o6/l0 l2/31 5 the vapor pressure of the perfume to drive aromatic vapors throughout the carton interior.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 2,368,140 l/l945 Johnson 239/53 X 2,329,908 9/1943 Johnson ..312/3l METHOD AND CARTON FOR IMPARTING FRAGRANCE TO CARTON CONTENTS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION tons and methods that impart a desired fragrance without direct contact between the contents and the perfume liquid.

In the marketing of various consumer goods such as facial tissue, toilet tissue, cosmetic tissue, stationery, or the like, ithas been-found that a product which is slightly scented enjoys increased acceptance by the average buyer. However, since a certain segment of the population is known to be allergic to high concentrations of perfume oils, it is in many cases desirable to avoid direct contact between the product and concentrated perfumes.

It is a primary object of my invention to provide a carton and method for imparting fragrance to carton contents that avoids the necessity for direct contact between the contents and concentrated perfumes.

lt is a further object of my invention to provide such a method and carton that are particularly economical and yet achieve a high degree of success in terms of the amount of the contents which may be detected to pos-` sess a desired fragrance and uniformity of fragrance strength.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art upon reference to the detailed description below and to the drawings, in which FIG. l is a diagrammatic illustration ofa carton constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention,

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment, and

FIG. 3 is a top section of the carton of FIG. 1 showing the vent whereby vapors are allowed to escape and permeate the carton contents.

While it is desired to avoid such methods as applying spots of concentrated perfume to the product, itself, there are a number of ways available to add fragrance with minimum concentrations in a unit area. Perfume can be diluted with a large quantity of some other liquid and then applied to the tissue. Another method is to finely divide the concentrated perfume and add only microscopic drops uniformly to the tissue. Still another way is to add the fragrance to the packaging material or to a sachet to be added to the package. In this method the perfume vaporizes and recondenses in the product and thus distributes itself over a fairly large area.

Of the foregoing types of applications my invention is most closely related to the latter one in that I prefer to apply the perfume directly to the carton and allow it to spread in low concentrations to the contents. It has been found that substantial reductions in amounts of perfume required result from this approach as opposed to the application of perfume even in dilute concentrations directly to the contents. For example, in the packaging of facial tissues, perfume requirements may be reduced by up to about 40 percent when it is applied to the carton as opposed to application directly to the tissues.

Of course, there are a number of ways to put the perfume inside the carton. ln general, the use of sachets" has proven to be expensive and limited to special applications. Other arrangements have included attaching holders to the inside wall of the carton for containing the perfume. This, too, is rather complicated and costly. Attempts have been made to reduce these costs by simply applying the perfume to the inside of the carton, but the result was that the perfume actually contacted the contents with widely varying degrees of fragrance intensity attaching to different parts of the contents. Further efforts involved adding the perfume to the adhesive used to seal the carton. This proved unsatisfactory as well because the adhesive tended to lock in the perfume and prevent it from effectively treating the contents. Thus, prior cartons have not proved e'ntirely satisfactory for economically producing a product having desired fragrance characteristics.

In contradistinction, my method and carton substan tially achieve the desired results with a low-cost opera tion. My invention provides effective perfume application to a substantially uniform degree to virtually all of the carton contents without actual contact with the liquid perfume.

The carton of my invention when used for facial tissues generally comprises a top providing access to the contents, for example, by means of perforations forming a portion which, when removed, results'in an opening; a bottom; and sides enclosing the ends and edges of the stack of tissues. The carton is sealed by adhesive applied to flaps forming the side adjacent at least the edges of th'e tissues. In accordance with my invention, a separation is formed between the innermost flaps and a perfume applied within this separation. The vapor pressure of the perfume drives the fragrance through a passageway formed by the separation and allows it to spread in low concentrations to the tissues.

Turning now to the drawings,

FIG. 1 shows one preferred embodiment of a carton which may be used, for example, to contain and treat facial tissues. As is well known, such tissues comprise one or more plies of cellulose wadding of a basis weight of about 6 to 15 lbs. per 2,880 sq. ft. which may be creped or uncreped. Further details as to the structure and composition of such tissues may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,563, col. 3, line 20 to col. 4, line 45 which is incorporated herein by reference. This carton 10 is made from form sustaining sheet stock such as cardboard and comprises side panels 12, bottom panel 14, top panel 15, front panel comprising flaps 16, 18, 20, and 22, and back panel 17 which is usually formed in the same manner as the front panel resulting in a rectangular shaped container. These cartons are more fully described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,369,700 and 3,369,699 to which reference may be had for more details. The carton is, of course, maintained open at least at one panel until tissues 24 have been placed therein. The carton may then be sealed, for example, by folding flap 20 over tissues 24 and after which the remaining front flaps are folded and sealed in a conventional manner. Flap 20 contains inwardly deformed portion 28 extending for one full carton dimension with perfume 26 on its outward surface. This perfume 26 may be applied in the form of spots, stripes, or otherwise. While it is possible to apply the perfume prior application, preferably by projecting the perfume oil from a gun in substantially single drop form onto the inwardly formed portion 28 while flap 20 is open. The

apart from the other flaps when folded and sealed. This space may be of any convenient shape or dimension. However, the form shown in FIG. l has the advantage of increased uniformity of vapor distribution. It is also preferable to add perfume to back 17 in the same manner as the front 20 since this results in even more uniform treatment. It will be recognized, ofcourse, that as the area of flap 20 occupied by deformed portion 28 increases, adhesion to other flaps may be decreased and it will be more difficult to keep deformed portion 28 separate from adjacent flaps to maintain the desired pocket open.

FIG. 2 illustrates a similar embodiment where pocket created by deformed portion 28a is formed on flap 22 and extends for only a portion of its length. This has the advantage of retaining the fragrance source near the upper part of the carton which is desirable where the tissues 24a are packaged in inverted U form as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,700 for example.

The operation of my invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 3 which is a sectional top view of a closed carton. Perfume 26 on flap 20 gradually vaporizes, and the vapors are directed to tissues 24 by means of vent or passageway 30 formed by deformed portion 28. I prefer that the inside volume of the carton be somewhat greater than that required for the contents so that the vapors can circulate within the carton and thereby affect a greater proportion of the product then would otherwise be the case. Normally if the volume of the carton is about 1.1 to 1.5 times that of the contents, satisfactory results will be obtained. Circulation of the vapors is promoted by the vapor pressure of the perfume and will continue as long as the vapor pressure exists.

lt will be recognized, of course, that some period of time will be required for the maximum effect to taken place and that the fragrance may gradually dissipate thereafter. For example, in the case of facial tissues, the perfume has been shown to have a substantial drop-off in intensity about 40 daYs after cartoning depending, of course, upon the amount and location of perfume applied. lt should also be recognized that substantial openings in the carton which would permit the vapors to escape are usually to be avoided.

The amount of perfume to be applied to each carton involves a matter of choice based on such factors as desired fragrance intensity, characteristics and amount of contents, estimated shelflife, and cost. In general, it has been found that, for cartons of 140 facial tissues, an amount of perfume in the range of from about 0.025 cc to 0.040 cc per carton represents a satisfactory compromise of such `factors when applied in the manner of my invention to both the front and back of the carton. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that variations within and outside this range may be made to achieve a particular desired effect. i

l prefer to keep the llquld from contact with the outer flap, e.g. flap 16 in FIG. 1, so that the perfume will not penetrate through the carton to present an unsightly appearance.

The perfume may be applied by any suitable method such as printing, drops, coating, etc. Since a small amount of liquid will usually be used, it will be contained by surface tension and eventual absorption into the carton material where paperboard of the like is used.

As stated earlier, the size of the pocket formed by the deformed flap portion may be selected to achieve a desired result. However, the separation of the flaps forming the pocket should be at least about 0.020 in. to allow adequate ventilation. Any of the conventional embossing steps may be used to deform the flaps which form the pocket. For example, in the manufacture of cartons for facial tissues, the flap is deformed by die impression, roll nip pressure, or the like. When other materials such as plastics are utilized, the deformed flap and carton may be formed as an integral unit by injection molding or the like.

Having described my invention in detail with reference to a preferred embodiment, I therefore claim,

1. A carton including means for imparting a fragrance to its contents by perfume vapors without direct contact between concentrated perfume and the contents which comprises,

a container adapted to be sealed and having two or more flaps for enclosing said contents,

a deformed portion of at least one of said flaps adapted to be adjacent said contents and to receive said concentratedperfume between said flaps,

said deformed portion also forming a-passageway for transmitting the vapors of said perfume to the inside of said container.

2. The carton of claim 1 wherein said contents comprise facial tissues and wherein the passageway is formed by a deformed edge portion of the innermost flap and that flap adjacent to it and wherein a perfume has been applied to said innermost flap onthe side opposite from said contents and within said passageway.

3. The carton of claim 2 wherein said carton is paperboard and said passageway extends for one full carton dimension.

4. ln a carton for facial tissues or the like and adapted to impart a fragrance thereto comprising a top adapted to provide access to said tissues, a bottom, and sides adapted to be adjacent the ends and edges of said tissues, said side adjacent at least the edges of said tissue comprising a plurality of flaps for sealing said carton,

the improvement wherein the flap adjacent said edges of said tissues includes an inwardly deformed portion separating said flap from the next outermost flap, said inwardly deformed portion being adapted to receive a perfume on the side opposite from said tissues and to allow the vapors of said perfume to spread in low concentrations to said tissues. 

1. A carton including means for imparting a fragrance to its contents by perfume vapors without direct contact between concentrated perfume and the contents which comprises, a container adapted to be sealed and having two or more flaps for enclosing said contents, a deformed portion of at least one of said flaps adapted to be adjacent said contents and to receive said concentrated perfume between said flaps, said deformed portion also forming a passageway for transmitting the vapors of said perfume to the inside of said container.
 2. The carton of claim 1 wherein said contents comprise facial tissues and wherein the passageway is formed by a deformed edge portion of the innermost flap and that flap adjacent to it and wherein a perfume has been applied to said innermost flap on the side opposite from said contents and within said passageway.
 3. The carton of claim 2 wherein said carton is paperboard and said passageway extends for one full carton dimension.
 4. In a carton for facial tissues or the like and adapted to impart a fragrance thereto comprising a top adapted to provide access to said tissues, a bottom, and sides adapted to be adjacent the ends and edges of said tissues, said side adjacent at least the edges of said tissue comprising a plurality of flaps for sealing said carton, the improvement wherein the flap adjacent said edges of said tissues includes an inwardly deformed portion separating said flap from the next outermost flap, said inwardly deformed portion being adapted to receive a perfume on the side opposite from said tissues and to allow the vapors of said perfume to spread in low concentrations to said tissues. 